Allocation to different branches in the 09-10 Budget

Every year the UA is given around $1.8 million to allocate to the branches of student government for the upcoming year – money that funds Spring Fling, major speakers, Hey Day, Sophomore Skimmer, free New York Times, and, of course, every student group on campus. Our money comes from the Trustees, and is pegged to the General Fee.

This year, of course, the economy ran into a little trouble, but the General Fee went up by 3.9% and so the UA was given an extra $67,000 to distribute. This was important; with budget cutting in every department, students can’t rely on non-student funding sources any more. Plus, the UA Budget Committee and PSG Treasurers found nearly $50,000 in savings from careful cutting of unnecessary and less popular programs.

In the end, our increase and new savings meant that:

• SAC gets another $25,000 boost to student group funding.
• SPEC got more than $28,000 extra for a better Spring Fling concert, SPEC-TRUM concert, and Fall/Spring Major Speakers.
• The UA began funding PennArts and PennGreen, two new and exciting freshman pre-orientation programs.

The full budget is online or in a printer friendly version, as you prefer. For the full low-down on the budget, check after the jump.

The new budget provides for some exciting new programs:

• For the first time PennArts and PennGreen will have institutional funding, ensuring their long-term survival. This is part of the UA’s commitment to the Pre-Orientation program in general: we partly fund every pre-orientation program that Penn offers.
• SCUE, the academic policy branch of the PSG, can launch the next of its acclaimed and influential White Papers thanks to a boost of $6,000.
• The Wine Tasting Preceptorial is back to full funding, thanks to cuts and economies made by the organizers.
• The UA-New York Times Readership Program will be fully funded this year.
• SPEC can launch a new Spring Crafts Fair, following on the success of their Fall fair.
• SPEC-TRUM now has access to a $6,000 discretionary co-sponsorship fund for minority groups with new speaker events in need of funding.
• La Unidad Latina and the Kappa Scholarship Ball are now both funded by SPEC-TRUM for the first time.

Plus, the most successful and popular SPEC events got a funding boost:

• $45,000 extra for the Spring Fling Concert, securing even better talent for next year and keeping the concert in the high-capacity Franklin Field.
• $7,500 extra for Spring Fling itself, to improve the Carnival and general Fling security.
• $8,000 more for SPEC Connaissance major speakers, allowing us to keep high-profile speakers like Madeline Albright and Anderson Cooper coming to campus!
• $6,000 extra for SPEC-TRUM Concert production and talent, ensuring the SPEC-TRUM Concerts will continue to build on their impressive reputation.

Most importantly for many of you, SAC’s budget has increased for the tenth consecutive year, with an extra $25,573 for student groups.

Finally, the Budget Committee was able to find just over $47,000 in savings to pay for these significant budget boosters (unlike another government, we actually balance our budget!). Many of these savings were hard to make, but all were essential to ensure a healthy budget going into the uncertain future:

• $15,000 was saved by cutting the Film Society Speaker event.
• $10,000 was saved by reducing talent costs for both the Fall and Spring Jazz + Grooves shows.
• $5550 was saved by reducing usage of the Dolphin Server (web space for student groups).
• $5200 was saved by cutting SPEC “Philly Week”.
• $3085 was saved by ruthlessly cutting advertising and food costs across all student government budgets.
• $2665 was saved by eliminating the SPEC Special Events Oscars Party.
• $1700 was saved by the NEC reducing their ad purchase for elections.
• $1,525 was saved by reducing hospitality costs in the Spring Fling concert.
• $1,500 was saved by halving the number small shows produced by SPEC Concerts.
• $780 was saved by scaling down SCUE Education Week.

The Budget is prepared by a lengthy process, which involves the UA Budget Committee (consisting of the Treasurer and two upperclassmen UA members elected at the beginning of the year) consulting with all PSG branch Treasurers, then preparing a recommendation that is considered, amended, and ultimately approved by the UA General Body of representatives at the meeting immediately before Spring Break. This year, the Budget Committee’s recommendation was affirmed by the General Body without amendment. For more questions on the budget, contact the Budget Committee at budget@pennua.org.

Do comment below about the final result. Did we cut something we shouldn’t have? Or fund something useless? Let us know! It’s your money – how we spend it is in your hands!